Abortion - Archive

When the Supreme Court tossed out certain provisions of a Texas abortion safety law earlier this year, in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, it did so without considering egregious conditions that exist in Texas abortion facilities, which prompted the passage of the contested legislation in the first place.

Operation Rescue now has evidence in the form of public documents that proves 16 of 17 Texas abortion facilities miserably failed recent health and safety inspections conducted by the Department of State Health Services between August 2015, and June 2016.

This information shows that Texas abortion facilities continue to pose a significant danger to the lives and health of women.

It is now obvious that regulatory reforms are needed to protect women from the serious health dangers posed by Texas abortion facilities. Abortion facilities should be required not only to submit to inspections, but also pass them before Ambulatory Surgical Facility or Abortion Facility licenses are issued or renewed.

“As far as I know, these inspection deficiency reports were never submitted to the Supreme Court’s consideration. The reports show us that more oversight is needed for abortion facilities, not less,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.

“We expect conditions at Texas abortion facilities will continue to deteriorate in the wake of the Supreme Court’s errant ruling that protects abortion businesses and their sloppy, corners-cutting practices above the health and welfare of women and their babies.”

The most recent inspection reports for each Texas abortion facility were obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Services in response to Operation Rescue’s Freedom of Information Act request.

Violations of note within the reports included:
Failure to ensure staff was trained and competent.
Failure to report child abuse on a minor patient.
Failure to observe mandatory waiting periods.
Failure to ensure a safe and sanitary environment.
Failure to properly sterilize surgical instruments, many of which were contaminated and in use on patients.
Cracked and/or contaminated vaginal ultrasound probes were found in two facilities.
Cross-contamination of instruments/supplies with aborted baby remains…

Need for Licensing Reform

Despite conditions and practices that are reminiscent of Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia “House of Horrors” abortion facility, the 16 Texas abortion facilities that failed inspections still qualified for licensing.

It is now obvious that regulatory reforms are needed to protect women from the serious health dangers posed by Texas abortion facilities. Abortion facilities should be required not only to submit to inspections, but also pass them before Ambulatory Surgical Facility or Abortion Facility licenses are issued or renewed. If the facility cannot comply, its ability to conduct abortion should be suspended for safety reasons.

It may have been beneficial for the Supreme Court Justices to have reviewed the inspection documents prior to declaring common-sense safety provisions to be an undue burden.

It appears the Supreme Court’s undue burden referred to slovenly abortion businesses that complain about having to clean up. However, for women, those provisions were far from burdensome; they were protection. In fact, they were the only layer of protection they had from unsafe conditions and practices that continue to endanger them at Texas abortion facilities today – including Whole Women’s Health, the abortion business that challenged the constitutionality of Texas abortion safety law.

“It is troubling that in the wake of the Hellerstedt decision, the mainstream media continues their propaganda campaign to convince the public that abortion facilities are clean, safe, and in no need of regulation or oversight, when nothing could be further from the truth,” said Newman…